SYDNEY, March 5 (Xinhua) -- A man has been airlifted to hospital after he was bitten by a shark while snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland on Thursday morning.

The Queensland Ambulance Service said that the man aged in his 50s suffered a deep laceration to his arm and smaller lacerations to the abdomen and hand in the attack near Lady Elliot Island at the southern tip of the iconic reef.

The man was airlifted to a mainland hospital in a stable condition.

A resort on the island said in a statement to local media that staff were notified of the attack around 8 a.m. and provided immediate assistance.

It said that relevant authorities were notified and the snorkeling zones on the western side of the island have been closed until further notice.

"It is not known what type of shark was involved," the statement said.

"Resort staff and marine shark experts are monitoring the closed snorkel zone."

The island's website says that around 30 different species of shark are frequently seen nearby, including hammerhead and tiger sharks on the western side of the island. ■